Huion Inspiroy 2 Medium Review: The Best Value Pen Tablet
Quick verdict
A medium pen tablet with a light-touch pen, tilt, USB-C and a lot of shortcuts. It's wired only, and Windows users may need to fiddle with one setting.
Buy it if
- You want your first real drawing tablet and don't want to overspend.
- You like shortcuts and a scroll wheel under your hand.
- You draw on a laptop or a Chromebook.
Skip it if
- You want wireless. It's cable only.
- You want to look at the pen tip while you draw. Get a pen display.
- You want a big tablet for a large monitor.
Specs
| Active area | 221 x 138 mm (8.7 x 5.4 in) |
|---|---|
| Pen | PW110, battery-free |
| Pressure levels | 8,192 |
| Tilt | ±60° |
| Shortcuts | 8 keys + 3 group keys (24 shortcuts) + scroll wheel |
| Connection | USB-C (wired) |
| Wireless | No |
| Weight | 420 g |
| Works with | Windows, macOS, ChromeOS, Android, Linux |
Pros and cons
Pros
- Light pen touch. Thin lines are easy.
- Tilt support at this price.
- 24 shortcuts plus a scroll wheel.
- USB-C, and it works with ChromeOS and Android.
Cons
- Wired only.
- Some Windows apps need Windows Ink turned on for pressure.
- The scroll wheel doesn't click.
- Medium size can feel small on a big monitor.
Real-world math
Drawing space. The active area is 221 x 138 mm, about 305 square centimeters. The tiny Huion H640P is about 160. So you get almost twice the room.
How it maps to your screen. A 24-inch monitor is about 531 mm wide. Spread across that, every millimeter you move on the tablet moves the cursor about 2.4 mm. That's comfortable. On a 32-inch monitor it gets twitchy, and a bigger tablet makes more sense.
Shortcuts. There are 8 keys and 3 group buttons that switch sets. That's 24 shortcuts, plus the scroll wheel. The Wacom Intuos has 4.
The pen
Parka Blogs found thin lines easy to draw, with smooth tapering and steady lines in Photoshop, Affinity Photo and Medibang. Tilt works for shading brushes. The pen needs no battery or charging.
Huion says the surface has 20% more friction than the last model, so it feels less slippery.
Setup
It plugs in with USB-C, and there's an adapter for USB-A ports. The driver lets you set up keys, pen buttons and pressure per app.
One snag on Windows: some apps only read pressure with Windows Ink turned on. Turning it on can cause small quirks, like text getting selected or the taskbar popping up. It's fixable, but it's worth knowing.
How it compares
| Spec | Huion Inspiroy 2 Medium | Wacom Intuos Medium Bluetooth | XPPen Deco 01 V3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| My rating | 8.5/10 | 7.9/10 | 7.7/10 |
| Active area | 221 x 138 mm (8.7 x 5.4 in) | 216 x 135 mm (8.5 x 5.3 in) | 254 x 159 mm (10 x 6.25 in) |
| Pen | PW110, battery-free | Wacom Pen 4K, battery-free | Battery-free |
| Pressure levels | 8,192 | 4,096 | 16,384 (claimed) |
| Tilt | ±60° | No | 60° |
| Shortcuts | 8 keys + 3 group keys (24 shortcuts) + scroll wheel | 4 ExpressKeys | 8 keys |
| Connection | USB-C (wired) | USB | USB (USB-C adapter in box) |
| Wireless | No | Bluetooth, 15+ hours | No |
| Weight | 420 g | 410 g | - |
| Works with | Windows, macOS, ChromeOS, Android, Linux | Windows, macOS, ChromeOS, Android | Windows, macOS, ChromeOS, Android, Linux |
| Check price | Check price Review | Check price Review |
FAQ
- Is the Inspiroy 2 Medium wireless?
- No. It connects with a USB-C cable. Huion's Inspiroy Dial 2 is the Bluetooth option.
- Does it work with a Chromebook?
- Yes. Huion lists ChromeOS 88 or later, plus Windows, macOS, Android and Linux.
- Why doesn't pressure work in my app on Windows?
- Some apps, like Clip Studio Paint and Affinity, need Windows Ink turned on in the Huion driver. Parka Blogs ran into this.
- Does it support tilt?
- Yes. The PW110 pen supports ±60° tilt.
Bottom line
This is the pen tablet I'd point most beginners to. It has a better pen, tilt and more shortcuts than the Wacom Intuos, and it costs less. Just be ready to plug it in.